


Just Ask

by nhasablog



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Gen, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 08:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11460249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Jack is desperately trying to get his fellow newsies to tickle him, and only Crutchie can see through his act.





	Just Ask

“Jack, lay off me, would ya?”

“Leave me alone, ya pest.”

“Kelly, I  _swear to god_.”

Crutchie had to laugh as he watched Race shove Jack away from him with slightly more force than he’d used the first three times Jack had been annoying him. This had been going on all day, and Crutchie had somehow managed to not get involved yet. Instead he’d been watching it all from the sidelines in an almost provocatively comfortable manner; just out of the sight of their dear leader. Jack was having no success with any newsie, and therefore kept returning to the same ones over and over in the hopes that things had changed. But it was a busy season and the others didn’t have time for his sudden playful mood. Crutchie was the only one who knew what he was doing and what he so desperately wanted his actions to result in. He was just having too much fun watching his friend struggle to say anything just yet.

Jack’s face visibly fell as Race all but ran away from him and his fingers, and Crutchie had to admit he felt a little bad for him. “Why do ya all hate me today?”

“Get to work, Jack,” Race called back, never stopping in his tracks. “I think ya goin’ insane.”

And suddenly, only a second after his defeated sigh, Jack’s eyes turned to him.

Crutchie, who was leaning against a wall in the shade to hide from the merciless summer sun, straightened ever so slightly with the knowledge of what was to come. “Hiya, Jack.”

“Crutchie, my buddy,” Jack replied, walking toward him rather quickly. “Whatchu standing here for?”

“Resting.”

“S’hot, ain’t it?”

Crutchie nodded while trying to fight back a grin simultaneously. “I can barely stand it.”

“Ya know what ya need? A good ol’ laugh-”

But Crutchie didn’t let Jack finish his sentence. Instead, he lunged forward and fluttered his fingers over Jack’s neck, making him recoil with a yelp that quickly transformed into a laugh and another laugh and another laugh.

“Crutchie, wait!” he managed to cry out somewhat coherently, but Crutchie wasn’t waiting. Limping as he did, he was still able to follow wherever Jack tried to escape, and it didn’t take long until he had him trapped between his body and the wall, one of his hands moving downwards to tickle along Jack’s ribs.

Jack could barely get a word in as Crutchie tortured both of his most ticklish spots, but Crutchie could see the pure happiness that radiated off of him, and he couldn’t help but to comment on it. “Ya know, if ya wanted to be tickled so badly ya coulda just asked.”

Jack spluttered through his laughter. “I didn’t-”

“Hey, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Next time, just ask!”

An ever present grin was plastered on Crutchie’s face as Jack doubled over from laughing so hard. He’d seen the way his friend had longed for this all day, and usually the tactic of annoying the others in this exact manner helped when they decided to turn the tables, so Crutchie had witnessed the frustration rise with each failed attempt and knew he couldn’t leave him hanging like that. He found it hilarious how Jack thought he wouldn’t see through his act, because one only needed to have eyes to do that.

He wasn’t gonna tell him that last part, though, because Jack didn’t handle embarrassment well.

“Please stop!” Jack suddenly exclaimed, sliding down the wall in an attempt to shield his neck - because the bare skin made it even more unbearable - from Crutchie’s hands. “Crutchie, please!”

“All right, only because ya asked so nicely.”

Rather than help him up, Crutchie sat down beside him, enjoying the slight breeze as he waited for Jack to quit gasping for air. He saw a few newsies pass them a bit away, but neither of them seemed to have witnessed Crutchie turning Jack to a giggly mess, which he reckoned Jack would appreciate since he didn’t like admitting to liking this or even to being ticklish. Crutchie couldn’t understand the reluctance, but he wasn’t gonna question it.

Jack eventually sat up properly, his arm pressed against Crutchie’s, and Crutchie was once again reminded of how touch deprived his friend was. He’d vowed to try to do something about it the first time he’d realized, and he knew Jack was grateful for it each time he did.

Jack cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

Crutchie beamed at him, which didn’t help the blush coloring Jack’s face. “Remember. Next time, just ask.”

Jack was looking everywhere but at him. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Crutchie gave his side a nudge. “Let’s get back to work. Papes don’t sell themselves.”

Jack let out a laugh. “If they did we’d be outta jobs.”

He stood, offering his hand for Crutchie to take, which he did gladly. They walked together for a few minutes before parting, both of them going off to their respective parts of town to wave their newspapers at strangers. Even the heat couldn’t ruin Crutchie’s good mood, and he suspected it was the same for Jack.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com) for tickle fics.
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasasideblog.tumblr.com) for non-tickle fics.


End file.
